As we wind down the year and look to the promise that 2024 brings, let’s take a look back at the best 2023 TV shows.
The top of the list features shows exploring grief across different genres ranging from post-apocalyptic to two very different workplace dramedies. However, somebody from the Golden Globes needs to explain how The Bear is a comedy in any way.
While Marvel’s success rate dipped a bit in 2023, Loki makes up for the drop in quality, meanwhile, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and Gen V proves there’s plenty of storytelling worth mining in the comic book work outside of Marvel and DC.
Video game adaptations shook up the TV landscape with The Last of Us and Twisted Metal showing very different takes on post-apocalyptic situations.
Plus, several debuting shows like Shrinking, The Fall of The House of Usher and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters carry over 2022’s string of confident 1st season debuts.
Before diving into the cream of the crop, let’s dive into a few honorable mentions.
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Honorable Mentions
- Jack Reacher: After a solid single with Alan Ritchson in the title role, the 2nd season is a homerun thanks to much better mystery.
- Ahsoka: The return of Hayden Christensen as well as strong performances by Rosario Dawson and Ray Stevenson propels Ahsoka to the best Star Wars series of 2023.
- Succession: The impeccably written and acted HBO series comes to a strong conclusion with its best moments happening early in the season.
- Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: This Netflix series is the best-animated show of 2023 and features the same insane cast as 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs The World.
- The Fall of the House of Usher: Bruce Greenwood and Carla Gugino flex their considerable acting chops in this gothic horror miniseries from Mike Flanagan based on works by Edgar Allen Poe.
Most Honorable Mention
The award for the most surprising TV series of 2023 goes to Peacock’s Twisted Metal. This video game adaptation features terrific performances by Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz in Peacock’s best original series to date.
Top 10 Best 2023 TV Shows
10. Justified: City Primeval – FX/Hulu
Raylan Givens may be a bit older, but Timothy Olyphant hasn’t lost a step as the angry US Marshal in this continuation of Justified.
Givens trades the colorful confines of Harlan, Kentucky and Florida for the colder locale of Detroit, Michigan. He doesn’t visit The Motor City alone as his teenage daughter Willa (Vivian Olyphant) comes along. A vulnerable Raylan means a more dangerous Raylan and the presence of his daughter becomes bait for “Oklahoma Wildman” Clint Mansel (Boyd Holbrook).
Olyphant also locks horns with Mansel’s defense attorney played by the magnetic Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor in the courtroom and bedroom. There is a dip in quality around the midway mark of the series.
However, the season finale helps vault the Justified: City Primeval to one of the best 2023 TV shows. Specifically, the final moments of the finale sets up possible future adventures for Raylan.
9. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters – Apple TV Plus
Godzilla Minus One isn’t the only successful Kaiju vehicle in 2023. Similar to Minus One, the key to the success of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is in telling an interesting story about human characters.
Legacy of Monsters is a sprawling series that features two time periods. The 1950s and present day in which Wyatt Russell and Kurt Russell play the same character spread across the respective periods.
The 1950s storyline features the formation of Monarch, the secret government organization that tracks monsters. At the center is an interesting love story between Wyatt’s Lee Shaw and Keiko (Mari Yamamoto, breathtaking). Meanwhile, in the present day, a woman searches for her long-lost father only to find a secret family including a brother. Anna Sawai and Ren Watabe are excellent as brother and sister. Joining them is Kiersey Clemons a hacker who helps them gain access to Monarch’s files and last, but not least an older Shaw played by Kurt Russell rounds out the present-day group.
Kurt Russell looks like he’s having a blast on screen and his performances make Monarch: Legacy of Monsters an unforgettable TV series.
8. Gen V – Prime
This spinoff of The Boys features confident storytelling, strong performances from an unknown cast and brutal violence which lead to a show brimming with more promise than perhaps the original series.
Gen V is essentially the X-Men series I’ve always wanted. Gen V takes real-life teen issues and marries them with powers that arise as teens come of age. Main protagonist Jazz Sinclair’s gift for manipulating blood, Emma’s ability to change her size based on how much she purges or eats and Jordan Li’s gender-fluid shapeshifter are examples of these characters representing real-world issues. Lizze Broadway is sensations as Emma.
Gen V also features shocking twists and bloody violence that were keys to The Boys success.
7. One Piece – Netflix
An endearing lead performance by Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, inventive action sequences, cool villains and smart pacing turn One Piece into a heartfelt swashbuckling adventure.
Luffy is a unique television character by modern standards. In this age of television, brooding protagonists are a dime a dozen. Luffy’s boundless optimism and desire to be king of pirates despite his humble beginnings is impossible to resist.
If every character was like Luffy, One Piece would become old fast. Luckily, he’s balanced by a more jaded crew. Nami (Emily Rudd) and Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu) are the first to join Luffy’s quest begrudgingly. Both are lone wolves. Nami is a thief with a desire to map the entire world. Zoro is a pirate hunter who wants to be the best swordsman.
Outside of the top-notch action with a great cast, the world-building and pacing are nearly flawless. Speaking of great casting, Jeff Ward steals the show as this universe’s version of the Joker. A maniacal clown with Humpty Dumpty-like abilities.
If you’re looking for a show to put a smile on your face, One Piece should be a must-watch.
6. Beef – Netflix
A road rage incident changes everything for Danny and Amy in Beef, a dark Netflix comedy featuring the best dialogue of the year. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong are terrific as Danny and Amy.
After the incident, the feud between Danny and Amy escalates throughout the season. Both Danny and Amy are lost adults, but this sudden feud suddenly gives both characters purpose through revenge.
The chemistry between Wong and Yeun is electric. Add in the top-notch storytelling and you have Netflix’s best new series since Orange is the New Black. To delve deeper will ruin the surprises of this special TV show.
5. Loki – Disney Plus
Season 2 of Loki maintains the same blend of compelling setting, outstanding character development for Loki and undeniable chemistry between Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson as the 1st season. However, the final two episodes of Loki season 2 vaults Loki to the top of the MCU shows.
The penultimate episode and finale are two of the best episodes of television in 2023 as Loki finally realizes his glorious purpose. From impeccable comedic timing to sheer pathos, few actors embody a single character to the degree Hiddleston does as Loki. Hiddleston’s performance is awards-worthy.
The unbeatable chemistry between Hiddleston and Wilson is even better in than in the 1st season. There’s also a ticking clock element regarding the imminent demise of the TVA that gives the film a chaotic energy from the start. Ke Huy Quan is an outstanding addition to the cast.
Loki‘s status as the best comic book TV series of the year makes it a no-brainer addition to the best 2023 TV Shows list.
4. Warrior – HBO
In what may be the final season of the martial arts meets historical crime drama, Warrior season 3 is the best of the series.
While there isn’t an action sequence that comes close to the Chinatown riot in season 2, the action sequences in season 3 continue to set new standards for television.
The long-simmering tension between Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) and Young Jun (Jason Tobin) finally boils over. Jun’s jealousy over Ah Sahm’s rise in popularity runs up against Ah Sahm’s inability to completely sever ties with his sister Mai Ling (Dianne Doan). Add in the counterfeit bill storyline and the Chinatown elements of Warrior are as compelling as ever.
In prior seasons, Warrior has struggled storytelling-wise whenever it leaves Chinatown or shifts focus from Ah-Sahm. Season 3 improves mightily by focusing on the mayoral race and removing a couple of characters from the sprawling cast.
Overall, Warrior somehow fills the Deadwood void, making it one of the best 2023 TV shows.
3. Shrinking – Apple TV Plus
Bill Lawrence‘s newest Apple TV Plus show Shrinking is the best streaming-only series of 2023. Lawrence has a unique ability to find comedy and catharsis in the most depressing settings and occupations possible.
Shrinking is set at a therapist’s office and revolves around Jason Segal‘s Jimmy Laird. Laird begins the series finally turning things around after a year of hitting rock bottom following the sudden death of his wife. Due to his behavior, his teenage daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell) wants nothing to do with Jimmy, but their relationship gradually improves throughout the series.
On a little more than a whim, Jimmy decides to defy common therapy practices by telling his patients what they should do. He doubles down by actively involving himself in their lives much to his mentor Paul’s (Harrison Ford) chagrin. Rounding out the therapists is Jessica Williams as Gaby. She was best friends with Jimmy’s wife and Williams is terrific.
However, the real surprise is Ford who delivers an award-worthy supporting turn in the gruff-mentor type of role. The major surprise is Ford’s impressive comedic timing and the warm relationship he has with Alice. The reveal of Paul battling Parkinson’s gives Ford another layer to sink his teeth into as well.
Like most Lawrence shows, Shrinking improves as the series goes along. However, the way the series grapples with grief is phenomenal. The penultimate episode and season finale is my 4th and 5th favorite episode in all of television in 2023.
2. The Bear – FX/Hulu
Season 2 of The Bear improves upon the tremendous 1st season in every way. One of the biggest improvements is there is a key driving force for the season. Season 2 begins with Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) and Carmy’s sister Sugar (Abby Elliott) trying to launch their new restaurant. Everything that can go wrong in starting a new restaurant does go wrong. Failed fire suppression tests, and testing new menu concepts while balancing the combustive environment push Carmy’s anxiety to the limit.
Season 2 of The Bear features two of the three best episodes in all of television. Fishes is a flashback episode showing the Berzatto family gathering at their mother’s house for Christmas. Jamie Lee Curtis makes her debut on The Bear as Carmy, Sugar and Jimmy’s mother, Donna. Within moments of popping on the screen, you understand where Carmy’s anxiety was born. There isn’t a more tension-filled episode of television.
The Bear follows up with Fishes with the Ritchie-centric Forks. Carmy sends Ritche to an upscale restaurant. Ebon Moss-Bachrach shines as Ritchie slowly goes from being stubborn to appreciating the upscale restaurant’s level of service. Ritchie’s character development is the best character arc on television this year and a major reason why this is one of the best shows on TV.
1. The Last of Us – HBO
HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us video game is the best tv series of 2023. In many ways, this adaptation by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann eclipses the video game, which is one of the best games ever made.
Mazin and Druckmann open up the world of The Last of Us, while never losing focus on how the story impacts Joel and Ellie. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are terrific as Joel and Ellie. Ramsey brings the right blend of resilience and gradual loss of innocence to Ellie. Joel initially lacks purpose due to the loss of his daughter from decades previous. However, his promise to his romantic partner Tess (Olivia Torv) eventually turns into a genuine love for Ellie. Sometimes when a man fails as often as Joel loves, the actions of that man can be calamitous.
The Last of Us also delivers one of the best episodes of television ever in Long, Long Time. A love story between gruff Bill (a never better Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) takes center stage. For an hour-plus, we see the duo fall in love, fight, and form begrudging friendships with Joel and Tess.
Wrapping this unique dystopia story is an interesting take on zombies through the cordyceps fungus.
Overall the themes of love and grief and how those emotions can influence those to do the impossible make The Last of Us the most memorable series of 2023.
